MALA Hosts 4th Annual Gala at Chicago History Museum

On November 7th, MALA convened over 150 community builders, influencers, and philanthropists at the Chicago History Museum to celebrate MALA’s progress and reflect on the importance of leadership, cultural exchange, and mentorship.

The keynote address at the Gala was delivered by Chicago native and 6-time grammy winning poet and lyricist Malik Yusef.  Malik spoke about the importance of selfhood, and respecting one’s own unique spirit and personhood–a theme that rings true with MALA’s work in storytelling and community organizing.

MALA honored Malik with the Community Builders Award for Excellence in the arts.  Other awardees included: Fam Mirza receiving the Entrepreneurship Award; Dorri McWhorter receiving the Leadership Award; Sadia Covert receiving the Civic Award; and Dale Ginsburg receiving the Interfaith Award.

The Gala was sponsored by the Chicago Cubs, along with many other generous donors and sponsors.  Thanks to our gracious network of supporters, MALA’s 4th Annual Gala successfully raised over $40,000 to support MALA’s scholarship program along with a range of other mentorship and community building initiatives for 2020.

We are so grateful to everyone who has supported our work and engaged with MALA in 2019.  Our community means everything to us and we are honored by the overwhelming support we have received this year–thank you!

Click here to see more pictures from the gala! 

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